The Black Butterfly by Shirley Reva Vernick

Each attempt was thwarted by a early closed line, or a mile-long line of squatters. Luck was not on my side when it came to any author in the autographing area. King, Alan Cumming, Jane Lynch, Gregory Maguire… and Grumpy Cat 😦 And Ally Condie… Though there were so many I missed! Garth Nix, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, David Levithan, R.L. (At least this time, it was a hardcover copy of the full book!) And again for Marie Lu. Til I got sucked in again when I saw Anjelica Huston. Whoa, whoa… a sample? What is this? I stood in line for 45 minutes for someone to hand me a 30 page pamphlet? Why would I want this signed? That’s when reality set in. I ditched the line.

Letdown #3: Rather than a full galley copy, he was signing a sample. Letdown #2: He might not get to sign for everyone. Letdown #1: a billion other people thinking the exact same thing. My first stop was waiting in line for Neil Patrick Harris. The hype is real and it’s a lot of fun! Now, here’s what I’m going to tell you… because somehow I missed this in all my preparations… What I failed to gather was an understanding as to just how much time I would spend standing in line.

My favorite wordsmith, Jane Yolen, along with her daughter, Heidi Stemple, ushered me to the convention as Morpheus and Hypnos would upon a dark steed (or in this case, their black Hyundai), through the perilous nightmares of New York City streets.ģ6 books, 21.5 miles, 3 car jump starts and 1 sippy cup later (and only one caffeinated beverage!), I’m back home, still reeling from how much was packed into the last three days. This year, I had the wondrous opportunity to attend BEA – Book Expo America – which, I’m convinced, is where all my dreams come from. The last few days have been incredible - and I know my tendency to blather on about things I find exciting, but I’ll try to keep my gushing to a minimum.

The Black Butterfly by Shirley Reva Vernick